pasta company Barilla shocked by global backlash, trying to make amends

Reuters - Italian pasta maker Barilla has reacted to the global storm caused by its chairman's comments that he would never use a gay family in his advertising by saying it planned to make the company more diverse and run a more inclusive TV ad campaign.

Guido Barilla's remarks to a radio interviewer in September led to calls by gay rights groups to boycott the products of the world's biggest pasta maker, a company more than 130 years old based in the provincial city of Parma.

Social media quickly spread the comments that gave rise to numerous Internet satires, including one widely posted on Facebook and Twitter showing the trademark blue Barilla pasta box with the letters "Bigotoni" on it rather than "Rigatoni".

Chairman Barilla, the 55-year-old great grandson of the company's founder, has since held at least eight meetings with gay organizations and activists both in Italy and in the United States, a market where it is counting on for growth outside its crisis-hit home market.

"Italy is a very insular country, and in cities like Parma it's even more so," company spokesman Luca Virginio told Reuters, saying the firm had been shocked by the global backlash.

19. Exactly

26. You're absolutely right. The week that he said that crap we had decided on pasta and

and osso buco for one of our dinners and when my other half reached for the barrilla pasta, I very loudly announced in the pasta aisle which had quite a few people, "put that back, I'm not putting money in some biggot's pocket by buying his stuff". We heard some murmurs around us and I hope we encouraged others to have a conscience about what they were buying. At least for that minute. We ended up buying an organic pasta

55. Excellent !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

61. One step further...

I'm thinking I need to do a bit of research to take my personal boycott one step further, and identify a mailing address for the company ... to which I can begin mailing the box tops for all the packages of pasta I'll be buying from their competitors.

36. We love Creamette brand. Not sure about their politics but I like it better than Barilla.

72. Same here

Barilla was my default purchase. Hasn't been since this debacle, and won't be ever again. There are tons of choices in pasta and sauce. I'd been wondering about the impact. Glad to see it's continuing.

8. They only want their profits back...

They certainly haven't changed their attitudes and their bigotry. They're not sorry for their
bigotry--they're upset at the profits that they've lost.

Barillia doesn't need to pretend that they're something that they're not, just to increase profits. First, they were bigots, and now they're greedy bastards who will say whatever to whomever--to increase shareholder value.

54. Oh, the poor homophobic bigots. We hope they sink outta sight. They don't give a

damn about LGBT, only greed and $$$$$. They will say whatever it takes to drain cash into their pockets. Well fuck them, we will never buy their products, and we're spreading it around. We just don't fall for this crap, oh, we are sorry we're homophobic bigots and we suddenly changed. F that nonsense.

56. Knowing Italy is the home of the world's biggest asshole

15. I prefer DeCecco.

I can't always find a good selection, though. Barilla is on sale a lot so I usually buy that. I've been avoiding Barilla since Guido Barilla dismissed any chance that he'd use a gay family in his ads. My guess is that his bottom line took a hit from his bigoted stance.

31. There will be little chance of recovery. I would never purchase another box.

Mostly because corporations without a clear moral compass aren't to be trusted, at all, not ever, no way.

The original corporate form was conceived by the Dutch, then adopted by the British and Americans; it still has as an unenforced agreement that corporations must serve the public good first, before the interests of the shareholders. If a company commits a social crime, there is no legal form of redress but execution by consumers.

Barilla should lose market share, and never recover it. Ten bucks says every other pasta maker will then be incredibly nervous about ever appearing homophobic. And that's a good thing.

Adam Smith and the internet are helping us fight back against Scalia and the Amoral Corporate Forces.

47. I am with you on that

They lost me as a customer for life with this. Well maybe if they fired this guy and hired an openly gay ceo I might reconsider but it would take something very extraordinary for them to ever get my business back.

64. Made me laugh...

38. Saw a pile of that shit on sale in my grocery store at discount prices....they cannot give it away.

I buy Dreamfields pasta anyway...tastes more like Neapolitan pasta than that shitty, overprocessed Barilla does, anyway.

I don't know why they tout it as anything special, it has all the "cachet" of Stop and Shop pasta amongst food shoppers in Italy. It's like Wonder Bread--a national brand, but certainly not haute cuisine.

As for "Chairman Barilla" all I have to say is 'che schifo! Stronzo!!!!' Someone should have taught that asshole that you only get one chance to make a good first impression, and he will forever be known as Bigotarilla!!

44. I am all for redemption and forgiveness.

I believe in rewarding people who learn from their mistakes and then choose a higher road.

I'm sure this do-over is profit-driven, but it doesn't matter really. We can't control what anyone feels or thinks; but hopefully we can influence what they do. This time, it appears we've succeeded. We shall see if they've really changed their tune. I really hope so. Conversions to the good side are welcome, and the converted should be embraced. imho.

46. You can't un-ring a bell - asshole. nt.

48. Barilla was the first brand in our area to sell whole-wheat pasta

We have health issues where we need to eat lots of whole grains. However, the other companies have caught up. Just bought some whole-wheat Ronzoni on sale for a great price at Kroger's. The best whole-wheat pasta, IMO, is the Meijer store brand organic pasta. Not too expensive and tastes great.

No more Barilla in our house. I am glad he made those stupid statements, so I know not to buy their products. I boycott anything from Koch owned industries. I will not shop at a store that opens on Thanksgiving.

66. Good old sexism at play too.

In the interview I just wanted to underline the centrality of the woman’s role in the familyYes, because us wimmins are only good for cooking, cleaning and birthing babies.
Not to mention: I'm sure there are men who would like to be househusbands.
Or men that split house duties equally with their husbands/boyfriend/wife/girlfriend.

I don't people who inject their politics into business, liberal or conservative. Do you really want to alienate customers?
I won't buy a product or use someone's services if they advertise their conservative leanings or religion.

70. We stopped buying Barilla

immediately after their Chairman's comments came to light. I was brought up eating Ronzoni and that's what we'll get from now on. And after reading about how one of Italy's governmental ministers, who was born in Africa but immigrated to Italy and is married to an Italian, has been treated (bananas thrown at her, etc.), "insular" doesn't quite explain Italy. Now bigoted and backward do come a little closer to describing it as far as I'm concerned.